


The Meetup

by MakingPoetry



Series: Albtraum 2.0 [2]
Category: The Covenant (2006)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:53:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25054186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MakingPoetry/pseuds/MakingPoetry
Summary: Tyler meets up with Chase like he's supposed to.
Series: Albtraum 2.0 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1813285
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	The Meetup

Caleb had tried to convince Tyler not to meet Chase. Tyler had argued that he didn't have much of a choice, because he had no doubt that Chase would hurt Reid more to get whatever he wanted out of this. In the end, they'd compromised; Tyler would meet Chase, but Caleb and Pogue would be there too, keeping their distance, in case something happened.

It was raining that night, water coming down in sheets, and Tyler was damp from the short run from his car to the door of Nickey's. Luckily, he'd brought a jacket, and he wasn't as wet as he could have been. Caleb and Pogue were already there, lingering by the bar, but so was Chase, lounging at one of the tables, picking at some fries.

Taking a deep breath, Tyler made his way over to Chase, glancing at Caleb and Pogue out of the corner of his eye. He felt better with them there, but he was worried something would happen. Pogue had a lot of reasons to be angry with Chase, and Caleb was more protective of his boys than anything else. He didn't think he had very much to worry about in such a public place, though. Chase was arrogant, reckless, and dangerous, but he was committed to keeping his secret, too. He wouldn't out them as witches.

Shrugging out of his jacket, Tyler draped it over the back of a chair when he got to Chase's table, avoiding making eye contact with him.

"Hey," Chase said, greeting him like they were old friends instead of enemies.

"Hey," Tyler said reluctantly, sitting down.

Chase nudged the half empty basket of fries across the table in Tyler's direction. "Are you hungry?"

This was the Chase that everyone else saw, the average teenager, but Tyler didn't believe it for one second. He knew exactly what Chase was capable of.

"I'll pass," Tyler said, despite actually being hungry. His stomach was in too much of a twisted knot for him to even think about eating anything.

Chase shrugged. "Your loss," he said, pulling the basket back over.

"So what are we here for?" Tyler asked, glancing around but most definitely _not_ looking in Caleb and Pogue's direction. He was sure Chase knew they were there, anyway.

Chase raised an eyebrow like that was a stupid question. "To hang out? People do that, you know."

" _Friends_ do that," Tyler corrected him.

"We used to be friends, didn't we?"

"No," Tyler said firmly. "We were _never_ friends, because you were _using us_."

Chase shrugged again. "It wasn't _all_ about using you," he said.

"Uh-huh." Tyler wasn't convinced, and he crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back in his chair. "Why do you want to 'hang out' with _me_?"

Taking a deep breath, Chase regarded Tyler for a moment, blue eyes boring into him. "I figured you're the least likely to start a fight." He raised his glass in Caleb and Pogue's direction. "You're not as hot headed as your friends." He'd seen what it took to piss off the other three, to get them to fight, but not Tyler. Tyler was a bit of an enigma.

"Seriously," Tyler said flatly. He wasn't able to stop himself from glancing over at Caleb and Pogue, who were watching them like a pair of hawks. Chase wasn't _wrong_ , really; of all of them, Tyler was probably the least likely to start a fight. Most of the trouble he got into was because of Reid. "You know, if all you wanted was to hang out and shit, you didn't have to go after Reid."

Chase snorted, plucking a fry out of the basket. "As if you would've given me a chance."

Tyler hesitated, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Chase had a point. They would've been more likely to attack him than give him a chance to say anything, or believe anything he had to say.

"How did you..." he hesitated again, uncrossing his arms and leaning forward in his chair. "After, you know, everything with Caleb." How did Chase _survive_?

"Dunno," Chase said, as casually as if they were discussing the weather. "It took me a while to find my way back here, though." To figure out where he'd been sent from whatever Caleb's magic had done to him. At first, he'd been angry. He'd wanted to come back and kill them all, but eventually the anger had given way to other things, less volatile emotions.

"And yet you still came back here."

Chase's brow furrowed, and he seemed genuinely confused. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Oh, I don't know," Tyler said, leaning back again. "Maybe because you're not welcome here?"

"That hurts, really." Chase feigned being wounded by Tyler's words. Dropping he act, he continued, "You're the only people like me." That he'd ever found.

Tyler was quiet for a moment, considering things. "Is that what this is really about?" he said. "Are you _lonely_?"

Chase laughed, almost choking on his drink. "So lonely I'd come crawling back to you four? I don't have trouble making friends. But you know more about this Power."

So _that's_ what this was. "If you want to know more about that, we can't talk about it here."

Chase's lips curled in a sneer. "You'd share with me? Even though I'm not part of your _special_ club?"

Tyler sighed. "It wasn't _us_ who banished your family," he reminded Chase. "And you're still one of us, you deserve to know." Maybe if Chase had known, he wouldn't have ended up the way he did.

"Do I?" Chase challenged, leaning his elbows on the table. "Do you think _Caleb_ would agree with that?"

Tyler shook his head. "You're not talking to Caleb right now, are you?" he pointed out. Chase was right though. The chances of Caleb wanting to share any information with him were probably very slim. Chase had betrayed their trust too much for that.

"Not here," Chase said. "We can't talk about it around so many people."

Making a face, Tyler shook his head. "I'm not going somewhere alone with you," he protested.

Chase's eyes flashed with Power. "Did you forget about Reid?"

Tyler glanced around to make sure no one had seen, feeling like his heart was in his throat. Of course he hadn't forgotten. Reid was the entire reason he was here. Swallowing, he took a deep breath. "Fine." More out of spite than anything else, he snagged a fry from Chase's basket before getting up and shrugging his jacket on.

Grinning triumphantly, Chase got to his feet, shooting Caleb and Pogue a smug look.

Tyler looked over too, trying to signal to them that he was alright. Caleb shook his head, and Tyler didn't have to be a mind reader to know that Caleb thought he shouldn't go anywhere alone with Chase, either. He didn't exactly have much of a choice, though. It was either this or risk Reid's life.

It was still pouring outside, so Tyler ran to his Hummer, unlocking the doors when he got there. Chase got in the passenger side, and Tyler didn't relish the idea of sitting next to him. It was closer than they'd been in Nickey's. Tyler didn't say a word, he just started to drive them out towards the dells. It was the first place he'd thought of, and if Caleb and Pogue were going to follow them, they'd know where to go. Assuming they were going to follow, anyway.

He drove cautiously in the rain, taking back roads and shortcuts as he went. Technically, they could have talked while he drove, but he was grateful that Chase didn't start pelting him with questions yet. Though apparently he drove _too_ cautiously for Chase, because eventually, Chase leaned forward and put his hand on the dash, eyes darkening to black. Immediately, the Hummer picked up speed, though Tyler hadn't accelerated.

"Chase," Tyler said sharply, "What are you doing?"

"My grandmother drives faster than you," Chase replied.

The car continued to speed up, tires spinning on slick roads, and Tyler pumped the brakes--they didn't respond.

" _Chase_ , you're going to get us killed." His panic was rising; this wasn't the kind of way he'd imagined Chase would endanger his life.

"We'll be fine," Chase insisted, not letting up.

Tyler shot him a _look_ , less than happy. After another moment, he leaned over and snatched Chase's hand away from the dash, squeezing his wrist firmly. "Stop it."

Chase glared at him, and for a moment Tyler thought he was going to do something even more reckless. But then the black bled out of his eyes and the car stopped accelerating. Snatching his hand away, he leaned back in his seat.

"Don't be boring," he said.

"It's not boring to not want to die," Tyler snapped. He also refused to believe Chase actually had a grandmother he spoke to. He'd killed his parents, what made the rest of his family safe?

The rest of the trip passed without incident, but it took Tyler a while to calm down and slow his racing heart. If it hadn't been raining, he wouldn't have cared as much, but he really didn't want to lose control and crash, no matter how powerful Chase was and what things he could do to protect them.

Finally, they reached the dells, alive and in one piece, and Tyler parked the car, turning off the engine. For a long moment, there was only the sound of pounding rain and the rumble of thunder, oddly soothing despite its intensity.

"So, what do you want to know?" Tyler asked. Where did he even start with all of this?

Chase didn't seem sure where to start either. He had so many questions, how did he pick which one to ask first? "When you got your Power, were you taught how to use it?"

"Actually, yeah," Tyler said. "Gorman--he's, uh, Caleb's family's caretaker--he helped teach us how to control our Power and how to use it." He didn't have to ask; no one had taught Chase how to use _his_ Power.

"You always knew what was going to happen, you _knew_ you were going to get this Power," Chase said bitterly.

Tyler hesitated for a moment. "You know...I didn't know the fifth family was still out there," he said quietly. "I thought they'd all died a long time ago."

"Yeah, well-" Before Chase could finish his sentence, his car door opened and Caleb reached in, grabbing him by the front of his shirt to haul him out of the car.

"Caleb!" Tyler opened his own door, scrambling out into the rain as Caleb slammed Chase against the side of the car. Pogue got in a punch before Tyler made it around to where they were. "Guys, stop." Tyler wasn't concerned for Chase's well-being, but he was worried about what he'd do to Reid. Or them.

Chase hardly seemed phased by the punch, but he lifted his hands all the same, eyes burning black. The next moment, Caleb and Pogue flew backward, landing hard in the mud.

"Stop!" Tyler got in between them, since Chase didn't seem inclined to hurt him just yet, and he was banking on that small possibility.

"Get out of the way, Tyler," Caleb said, getting to his feet, his eyes already black.

It was Chase who pulled Tyler out of the way, stepping around him to face the other two. Pogue was glaring at him. "You just can't leave things alone, can you, Caleb?"

"You tried to kill me," Caleb reminded him. "You put Pogue and Reid in the hospital." Chase had put Kate in the hospital too, almost killed Sarah--the list went on and on.

"And most of that's in the past," Chase said. "I won't hurt Reid if you don't make me."

"Let him go and I'll let you walk away," Caleb said. They were on even footing, and he wasn't afraid of fighting Chase again if he had to.

"Oh, I'll be walking away, but what happens to Reid is up to all of you."

With a growl, Pogue advanced on Chase, eyes black and ready to fight, but Chase knocked him down with barely any effort.

Tyler quickly went to Pogue, helping him up and doing his best to hold him back from attacking Chase again, keeping a hand on his chest. "Don't," he said quietly, "He wants to goad you on."

"We can take him," Pogue grunted, trying to struggle around Tyler to get to Chase.

"Can you, though?" Chase taunted him. "How about, everyone behaves, and no one gets hurt?"

Caleb wasn't having any of that, either, and moved towards Chase. Before he even got three steps, Chase had vanished into a cloud of mist, leaving nothing behind.

"What did he want?" Caleb asked, turning towards Tyler and Pogue.

Letting go of Pogue, Tyler shrugged, soaking wet and shivering. "Just to talk," he admitted. "About normal stuff, and what we know about the Power."

"That's it?" Caleb was skeptical. Why go through all the effort of putting Reid in the hospital just for that?

"That's it," Tyler confirmed.

"If he contacts you again, let us know."

"No problem there." Tyler would tell them everything about what Chase wanted or what happened with him, without any prompting.


End file.
